Monday, 17 December 2012

Sports Personality of the Year

Sports Personality of the Year – I used to think that this was an oxymoron.After all, if you spend every waking hour training you don’t really need to develop a personality.

So, no word of a lie, I actually clapped when Bradley Wiggins won this year’s award.Here is a man with Paul Weller’s haircut, wearing a velvet suit, who has the good humour to thank his Nan for hitting the re-dial button several times to vote for him – and promising to refund her the cost – while also being a high achieving athlete.

I’m not a huge fan of sport – I grew up in a household with a sports-mad Dad and brother who watched everything from wrestling through to darts, via football and snooker, with a huge dollop of horse-racing for good measure – but 2012 really changed it for me.

I genuinely cared if Mo Farah won; I cheered when Jessica Ennis got her gold; I even cried when the horses did their dressage to a medley of stirring British tunes!

Watching the review of the year brought all those feelings flooding back and made me think about the Olympic legacy.

The Olympics offer an opportunity for those who perhaps don’t normally enjoy sport to join in.Because of the wider range of disciplines, there really is something for everyone.Let’s also not forget the inspirational paralympians who truly put ‘couch potatoes’ to shame.

We as a nation should enjoy some exercise, take part in some sport – whatever it may be – with the best going on to compete with the best in the world.Let’s celebrate the achievements of others.Remember that success breeds success.Make Britain great again!